Phineas and Ferb Wiki:Standardizing content
To help ensure that pages on the Phineas and Ferb Wiki have a consistent look and writing style, the following information is available. Point of View Articles should be written as if you are there watching the events take place as they happen, and should indicate some familiarity with the characters. This is called "writing in-universe". For the most part, descriptions are written in present tense, though past tense may also be used when describing a historical event shown in an episode. Example: Phineas and Ferb are sitting under a tree, wondering what to do today. Contrast this with: In the episode "Rollercoaster", Phineas Flynn and Ferb Fletcher were sitting under a tree. In some countries, it is common to refer to people by their surname (last name or family name), such as "Fletcher" instead of "Ferb". For this Wiki, please use first names whenever possible. Full names are usually only listed on the page for the character itself. For more information, refer to 'Point of view.'' Manual of Style The '''Manual of Style covers the technical aspects of how an article should be written. Topics include: :* Grammar and punctuation :* How to create links :* How to name articles :* The format for writing song lyrics :* Specifying sources :* How to note spoiler information For more information about spoilers, refer to the 'Spoilers' page. For more information about naming pages, refer to the 'Naming convention policy' page. Canon material Canon material refers to what sources of information we consider as being an official part of the Phineas and Ferb universe. A forum has been created to discuss what material is acceptable as an official source. Additional information about the term canon can be found on Wikipedia. Templates Templates are used to provide a quick way of linking to a large amount of information. Some templates have also been created for links that are frequently used. Examples: :* is the equivalent of Phineas and Ferb :* is the equivalent of Candace and Stacy The frequently used link templates had been created for convenience. However, it has been pointed out that new users might not know what these templates are for when editing a page. In these situations, it may be better not to use the template and their use eventually phased out. Additional information about Templates is provided on the Reference materials page. Episodes When a new episode is created, some basic information is automatically filled in. This section will describe the purpose of that basic information and what should go there. :* Infobox: The Infobox is the section on the right side of the page that contains details about the episode itself. Who wrote it, when it premiered, etc. (Infoboxes also exist for characters and locations, and will be discussed separately.) :* Initial summary: Before the main Episode Summary is a brief initial summary of the entire episode. These are referred to as "TV Guide" summaries since they are typically one or two sentences long. Initial summaries should describe what Phineas and Ferb, and Perry and Doofenshmirtz are doing in the episode. Optionally, it can include what Candace is doing. :* Episode Summary: This is the main summary of the episode and is actually a full description of what happened in the episode. :* Songs: Links to the song(s) that play in the episode. :* Gallery: The picture links to a separate Gallery page with screenshots from that episode. :* Running Gags: Running Gags are the themes that occur in each episode. Some of them have variations, such as the "Too Young" line. :::* "Whatcha doin'?": This is usually asked by Isabella when she wants to see what the boys are doing, but has also been said by other people such as their dad and by Baljeet. Sometimes this gag does not appear in an episode. :::* The "Too Young" Line: The point when it's realized that a character is doing something not typical of their age, but does not specifically have to be about age. It can also be related to things that are out of place, such as when Candace was asked, "Aren't you a little too female to be Morty Williams?" in "Phineas and Ferb Get Busted". The response to this question is almost always "Yes, yes I am," or some variation therein. :::* Ferb's line(s): Ferb does not talk very often, so when he does, it's usually worth noting. This gag can also include when he sings a song. :::* Perry's entrance to his lair: The entrance to Agent P's lair seems to change each time, so they are noted here. :::* "Where's Perry? / There's Perry.": Perry is able to able to slip away from the boys quite easily in order to start his mission, and slips back in unnoticed. This gag notes the moments these occur. :::* "I know what we're going to do today!": The event that inspires the day's Big Idea. :::* Evil Jingle: Dr. Doofenshmirtz spends an inordinate amount of time making sure he has a jingle for every occasion, from moving into a new house or being at a family reunion, so the jingle is noted here. :* End Credits: Describes what happens in the end credits. This can be a repeat of a song that played during the episode, or a completely new scene. :* Memorable Quotes: self-explanatory. :* Background Information: Details that provide explanations about things seen in the episode. :* Continuity: Events that relate to other episodes are noted here. Usually, these are for previous episodes, but sometimes are also added in for episodes that are seen at a later date. :* Allusions: An allusion is a reference in the show to something outside of the show. One example is when the giant gumball machine rolls after Phineas and Ferb (and later, Candace) in "Are You My Mummy?" This is a reference to the movie Raiders of the Lost Ark, where the giant boulder rolls after Indiana Jones at the beginning of the movie. Allusions are sometimes subjective about whether they really are referencing something outside of the show. In these situations, you should add words like "may be a reference to" in the allusion. This lets other members of the community double-check the allusion to see if it's valid or not. :* Cast: The full cast, as shown in the credits, are listed here. Because there are usually two episodes in each broadcast, sometimes an actor is listed in the credits that does not actually appear in that episode. They are a part of the other episode, but they still need to be listed here. See "Rollercoaster" for an example of how this is handled. :* Navigation box: Navigation boxes are used to show which episodes preceeded and follow the episode. :* Episodes list: At the bottom of each page is the Episodes list, which show all episodes. This is provided for quick navigation.